The tales that we love: A Wrinkle in Time, The Lord of the Rings, TheChronicles of Narnia, The Hitchhiker’s Guide. And then, some that we’re notso sure about: The da Vinci Code, Bridget Jones’ Diary, anything written byAnne Rice. And then, there are some books that maybe we just haven’t heardabout yet, like Jasper Fforde’s “Thursday Next” novels. But there is nodoubt—the line between “high literature” and “low fiction” is blurring asacademia increasingly acknowledges popular fiction and its force in theliterary landscape.

This panel seeks paper and presentation proposals that engage questions ofpopular literature in graduate studies, such as:- what defines “high culture” from “popular literature”?- is there a place for popular literature within graduate work, from classesto theses to dissertations?- is there marketability for popular literature studies?- what artistic license is available for popular writers to re-createclassics (such as Dan Brown’s The da Vinci Code or Jasper Fforde’s The EyreAffair)?- how does popular literature confront, corrupt, or conflate the culturaldiscourses of academic study?

Paper abstracts should be no more than 350 words and submitted by November30, 2005. Please include home and office numbers, complete mailing address,e-mail address, professional affiliation, and AV requirements with yoursubmission. Direct questions or submissions to Cynthia Calhoun,cynthia.knight_at_asu.edu.